What do 60-mile-an-hour winds, a cracked tour bus windshield, widespread power outages and a concert near Pittsburgh have in common? How about the first ever BarlowGirl/Stellar Kart unplugged show!

BarlowGirl brought their Love & War tour to town in the hopes of rockin’ the area, but apparently God had other plans. The band arrived in Greensburg, Pennsylvania just as massive storms ripped through the area leaving 36,000+ people without power and knocking out the Palace Theater’s power as well.

So what do you do?

Sitting around under the emergency lighting, the crew and bands made their final decision: “we’re here, let’s do a show.” From the uncertainty on their faces, you could tell they were navigating uncharted waters, but they maintained the attitude that God had brought them here and He knew what He was doing, even if they didn’t. As the musicians huddled to figure out just what they we’re going to play, the crew also put their heads together to see what they could do to improve the situation. In a stroke of creative genius someone came up with the idea of using the generator from BarlowGirl’s tour bus to provide some, even if just a little, power.

As the crew scrambled to put their plan into action, BarlowGirl spent some time in a Q&A with their VIP fans. I thought it was great! I’ve been to a number of meet & greets with different bands, but I loved their approach. It was more like a press conference where the girls took about 15–20 minutes to field questions from their fans, followed up by time for photos.

It was open season for questions as they even let one fan sing for them. And yes, the Barlow girls thought she was quite good.

My favorite story during this time came from Lauren (drummer). Someone asked about their most embarrassing moments on stage, and Lauren’s topped the bill. She talked about one show where her hairstylist, against her better judgment, talked her in to using clip-on hair extensions. And sure enough, while on stage she managed to get one of her drum sticks tangled in one of them. While trying to get the stick free she ended up ripping the extension out and throwing it across the stage. I can just picture that. As my kids would say… ROFL!

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The girls also talked a little bit about how much they loved being on the road together and being able to perform as sisters and how trying it could be sometimes too. Alyssa spent some time sharing about how difficult it can be to find little moments of alone time during long tours. “It’s not that you don’t love the people around you, but sometimes you just ache for that personal quiet time with yourself and the Lord.” After wrapping up the VIP event it was time for some private prayer time and wondering how they were going to pull this show off.

In the meantime, the crew had been working miracles and were able to get a small PA, Alyssa’s keyboard and a couple of lights set up and running using their newfound power supply. The show was actually going to begin. Vince Barlow, BarlowGirl’s manager and dad, came onstage to introduce the show, explain what was happening, and make an offer to refund anyone’s money if they wanted to leave. What a class act. How many other bands would actually do that? I was impressed! Did anyone leave? Well, from my vantage point at the middle of the house I didn’t see anyone get up and head out.

As Vince walked off the stage, Adam Agee, lead singer, walked on with an acoustic guitar and without the rest of Stellar Kart. He took a moment to lead prayer and then began to play. You could just feel the presence of God as Adam played acoustic versions of “We Shine,” “Life is Good” and “Me and Jesus.”

After a few songs, the rest of Stellar Kart walked down through the audience, picking two people at random to join them on stage. They were asked to hula hoop while the band played some Taylor Swift songs using an acoustic guitar, ukulele and a dust mop. It was quite the sight and really entertaining. It certainly wasn’t a set that you’d expect, but I have to admit they did a great job given the circumstances.

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Next up to give an unplugged set a go was BarlowGirl. Lauren Barlow said that their message for this tour has been that it’s time for this generation to stand up and be the change that they want to see. Power or no power, this was certainly a message that resonated clearly throughout their set. Truthfully, I don’t think the power outage diminished their set at all. Their vocals and harmonies were just as melodic and beautiful as ever as they served up acoustic versions of “I Need You to Love Me,” “Come Alive,” “Our Worlds Collide” and “Beautiful Ending.”

Overall I thought this was one of the most amazing shows I have seen in quite a long time. I don’t think anyone could have left too disappointed. I do feel a little bad because I am sure the bands were disappointed about the power loss, but from my perspective they still put on a great show. I also know that God did show up that night, and if God shows up, power or no power, how bad can it really be … right?